Randolph County potter Joseph Sands, at left, hosted ECU graduate students Devin McKim and Erin Younge during their summer internship.

As part of a summer internship finale, two East Carolina University graduate students will fire a groundhog kiln on the lawn of the North Carolina Pottery Center today.

Erin Younge, a third-year graduate student in ECU’s ceramics program, has been teaching clay programs for all ages. Devin McKim, a second-year graduate student, has been working with local Randleman potter Joseph Sands to learn production ceramic techniques. The student internships are part of an ongoing collaboration between ECU and the pottery center.

The firing of the groundhog kiln takes approximately 15 hours and uses two cords of wood. “Firing a groundhog kiln is a great introduction to Seagrove pottery,” McKim said. “I am excited to be joining in on that traditional style of salt firing.”

Also on Aug. 2, there will be a Raku firing demonstration. Younge and McKim will explain the firing process and answer questions from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. today and Saturday.

The Raku firing will be divided into smaller batches to fire, remove and fume – and then repeat with each batch – to give visitors a chance to see finished pieces more quickly than most types of firings.

“I am amazed by the range of color that Raku firings produce,” said Younge. “The transformation that takes place in both the clay and the glaze by using simple combustible materials like sawdust or flowers is always a treat.”

The mission of the North Carolina Pottery Center is to promote public awareness of and appreciation for the history, heritage and ongoing tradition of pottery making in North Carolina.

The center is located at 233 East Avenue in Seagrove. It’s open Tuesday through Saturday 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. For more information, call 336-873-8430 or go to www.ncpotterycenter.org.

East Carolina University is listed in a new ranking of Best Colleges released this week by Money magazine.

ECU is ranked 339 out of 665 institutions. Educational quality, affordability and alumni earnings provided by PayScale.com were used to determine the rankings, according to the magazine’s methodology.

The magazine evaluated about 1,500 four-year colleges across the nation to find which offered the most for the amount of tuition paid. Colleges with below-average graduation rates were dropped, which left 665 institutions that were measured and ranked.

ECU Chancellor Dr. Steve Ballard accepts a donation Oct. 27 from Paul James, central division manager of operations support specialists for Food Lion. Others include Dr. Glen Gilbert, dean of the College of Health and Human Performance, Dr. Steve Duncan, assistant vice chancellor of administration and finance and director of military programs, and Dr. Stephen Thomas, dean of the College of Allied Health Sciences.

East Carolina University became Food Lion’s MVP this weekend when the grocery store chain donated $100,000 to support fellowships and a scholarship.

The donation will establish the first university-wide doctoral fellowships for Operation Re-Entry North Carolina and an endowed scholarship in the Department of Occupational Therapy in the College of Allied Health Sciences. The Operation Re-Entry initiative is centered on research and projects that help veterans return to civilian life after service.

The presentation was made during halftime at ECU’s home football game against Navy on Oct. 27, which was Military Appreciation Day.

The partnership goes back to September 2010, when 15 employers were selected to receive the U.S. Secretary of Defense Freedom Award in recognition of their support of the guard and reserve.

Two of the employers were from North Carolina: ECU and Food Lion. At that time, the two organizations vowed to partner and continue to provide a superior level of support to the military, said Pat Frede, ECU development officer in the College of Allied Health Sciences.

“We thank Food Lion for their generosity, support and dedication to the men and women of our nation’s armed forces,” said Frede, a Navy veteran and reserve Senior Chief Petty Officer who served a 14-month tour of duty in Afghanistan in 2010-2011.

Eleven occupational therapy graduate students at East Carolina University were inducted Oct. 29 in the Delta Beta Chapter of Pi Theta Epsilon, the honor society for occupational therapy students and alumni.

The chapter is the only one in North Carolina and one of 80 active chapters in the United States, said Dr. Leonard Trujillo, chairman of the Department of Occupational Therapy in the College of Allied Health Sciences.

The society recognizes and encourages superior scholarship among students enrolled in professional entry-level programs at accredited education programs across the United States. Pi Theta Epsilon supports the development of occupational science and the practice of occupational therapy by promoting research and scholarly activities of its members.

Dr. Stephen Thomas, dean of the College of Allied Health Sciences, was guest speaker and Trujillo made closing remarks.